


The Kids Are Alright

by abluecanarylite



Category: Rockett's World
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-13
Updated: 2012-09-13
Packaged: 2017-11-14 03:23:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/510795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abluecanarylite/pseuds/abluecanarylite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rockett has two surprise visits after the events of "Tricky Decision".</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Kids Are Alright

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: Base more off the games than the books, this takes place after the second game "Tricky Decision". I really wanted to write something mellow and serious at the same time for a series that I miss and wish was still around. I guess that's why fanfiction exists. Anyway, this let me develop more on Rockett's relationships and how I remember middle school to be like.

“Rockett, you leaving already?” Nakili stuck her head into the entryway, catching her arm. “We haven’t even had the costume contest.”

She had to hand it to her; parties were her forte. Rockett smiled. “Don’t worry, Nakili, I’m just catching my breath.”

She was only thrown a knowing smile before returning to her guests. Rockett opened the door to find the night’s surprise waiting at the door.

Cleve looked her up and down while Max leaned over his shoulder – musketeer hat dipped low over his eyes. “Rockett!” Both whistled, “You lookin’ for a pharaoh?” Max wiggled his eyebrows.

Rockett rolled her eyes, blushing still. She caught Ruben staring at her beside Chaz and turned redder. Cleve noticed, but for once kept it to himself.

Chaz nodded at Nakili, who came up behind Rockett with her hands on her hips. “Well look who’s here.” A hint of a smile played at her lips. “What happened, Diamond? Nicole break a nail and no one could party without Miss Popular?”

Ruben’s old suaveness held up enough to brag about their reason. “Cops actually. Debaser got pretty loud. They said we had to can it.”

Chaz’s head slipped through the doorway. “Nakili, you have any of that stuff from the bake sale? Max’s food sucked.”

“Hey!” Max jumped onto Chaz’s back and the two almost trampled Rockett as they fumbled into the house. Rockett rolled her eyes, but happily lingered back so Cleve and Ruben could come in. Nakili was aglow, leading them into the living room. “Yo Miko, guess what…”

As Nakili's voice faded into the party noises, Cleve gave Rockett a little nudge towards Ruben. “I’ll catch you guys later, gotta make the rounds.” He flashed them a cheeky grin before disappearing into the crowd. 

Cleopatra and the guitar-wielding skeleton stood side by side in silence, the door handle still in her hand as he stood awkwardly in the doorway. It looked as though it took a leap of faith for him to take her hand and lead her back outside.

“Why didn’t you come to Max’s party?” Ruben’s voice was hoarse from, what seemed like, screaming over sugar overdosed 14 and 15 year olds.

Taking a seat on the porch swing, she tried not to stare at Ruben as he leaned against the railing, guitar case slung over his shoulder. “Sorry, I really wanted to see you guys, but I didn’t want to be anywhere near the Ones on Halloween.”

He chuckled a little, his voice cutting in and out. “Well… if a gig wasn’t a gig, I’d have gotten you punch.”

Rockett found her untouched glass of punch and handed it to him. “Here, you sound horrible.”

Taking it, he didn’t even wait for her to reassure him she hadn’t spit in it. “First time a girl’s told me that.” He said, smiling a little when his voice didn’t sound as strained. “Come on.” He set the cup on the railing, “I’ve never gotten to dance at a party before.”

She followed suit, grabbing his hand unconsciously. He stopped at the door and she realized that had been a first for them both. “Never?”

In the doorway between freedom and reality, Ruben gave her a sad smile that would have fooled anyone that wasn’t paying attention. “Come on, New Girl. You’ve got a lot to learn.”

* * *

It was almost one in the morning when Meg’s ringtone woke Rockett up. Her laptop was still on her lap, her chat windows filled with ‘happy Halloween’ and ‘good night’. Shutting it down, Rockett grabbed her phone and got up to put her laptop away. “Hey girl, what time is it there?”

On the other end, Meg could be heard sprawling out onto her bed. “Sorry, it’s eleven here. Were you asleep or snoozing with your photos?”

She crawled back into bed. “You know me, always the multi-tasker.”

“How was the party? Did you go see Debaser or go to Nakili’s?”

Rockett scooted over to her window and looked outside at several stragglers making their way home. “Nakili’s. I didn’t wanna hang with the Ones all night. Even, I got something better. Max’s party got shut down by the cops and Ruben came by Nakili’s.”

“No way, did you talk to him?”

“Better-” She blushed, remembering Ruben attempting to dance. “-we danced. Turns out, he’s never gotten to actually hangout at the parties he plays for.”

“You were his first?!”

“Don’t say it like that!” Rockett laughed loudly, before smothering it. Luckily her parent’s room was on the first floor, on the other side of the house.

On the other end Meg rolled around on her bed, laughing with delight. “Rock, I am so jealous, you got the best Halloween ever!” She quieted down and sighed, sounding tired. “I miss you, you know that right?”

Rockett sighed, nodding despite her friend not being there to see it. “I know Meggie Muffin… Happy Halloween.”

“Happy Halloween, Rockett. Sweet dreams.”

“Ditto.” They hung up their phones together and Rockett realized she knew one of the several stragglers heading down her street. Pulling open her window, she leaned out and whistled. “Brat!”

Sharla whipped around, looking slightly delirious. “Look whose talkin’!” She laughed, tossing an egg up and catching it. “Hey, get down here and tell me something awesome before I egg your mom’s car.”

She rolled her eyes, but Rockett obliged her, slipping into her jeans and throwing on her denim jacket over her Salvador Dali shirt to keep the October chill off. Sneaking out wasn’t hard to do when her parents knew she liked to sit outside and stare at the stars. Sharla was waiting in the front yard in her Rockabilly costume, with a bag of candy and a familiar grab bag from Nakili’s.

“I didn’t know you were at Nakili’s.” She offered, but Rockett knew the other girl hadn’t set foot in such a whimp-filled get-together. Knowing Sharla, she had probably been with Bo, egging cars and toilet papering trees. Not because she had too, but because she needed to. Mindless vandalism was better than conforming to Whistling Pines.

“Heh, yeah, well, Nakili has a funny way of finding me and giving me stupid stuff like this.” Sharla clutched the bag a little tighter, Rockett seeing the toughness fade just a little. “So I take it you didn’t go to that stuck-up-fest at Max’s? Mavis was really pissed about that. She’s rooting for you and Ruben hard.”

“Oh man…” Rockett had to laugh a little at the thought of Mavis at Nakili’s. “I take it you were the one who called the cops then?”

Sharla shrugged and offered her a Butterfingers. “Egging cars was getting boring, even; somebody had to rain on their parade.” When Rockett took the offered candy bar, the other girl began to peel off an egg’s shell

She laughed, now really just exasperated with Sharla’s sudden mischievous nature. Rockett only saw the quirk in her eyebrow and the smirk in her smile when Nicole was about to get her comeuppance. She wasn’t sure if she should be mad or relieved Sharla was more Bo’s tag along than partner-in-crime. “You are such a liar.”

“Yeah, well, you’re a gullible little know-it-all, so I guess we’re even.” She popped the dry yoke into her mouth and stuck her tongue out at Rockett.

They both huffed with laughter, sighing as the night finally took its toll on them. Brushing her hair back, Sharla slung her bag over her shoulder and nudged Rockett with her clenched hand. Nakili’s gift bag of goodies hit her with the crinkle of treats. “Happy Halloween, Movado… I like your shirt.”

With that, the girl was off and Rockett gave her back a small wave. “Happy Halloween, Sharla… be careful.”

Her thoughts drifted back to the party and Ruben’s unexpected appearance. Nothing had gone according to plan and yet, everything was alright.

Everything was alright.


End file.
